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Post by Zeneida Hernandez on Jun 13, 2010 0:11:43 GMT -8
Six days and twenty three hours. That was how long Zeneida had left the house. She wouldn't stay where she wasn't wanted. It was plain to see that her mother didn't want her; she only took her in because Ben told her to. And now, he wasn't even there anymore. And all of her mother's focus and attention was on Zee's sister. The good one. When Zeneida accused her mother of not caring, she wasn't corrected. Instead, her mom said nothing at all. Silence might as well have been an admittance.
Zeneida had stolen money, and at first was living it up at the club. But when the money dwindled, she had to focus on what was most important: food. She had bought herself a sandwich and was on the bridge, in the caged off walkway, eating it. It was after ten when she finished it, and she walked over to where it was dimly lit, and sat down. She pulled her coat over her arms. It was cold tonight. She needed a blanket, but hadn't taken one with her. Why, she didn't know. She had a backpack with clothes and her hygeine necessities. But not blankets.
Hours went by and she was still awake. When she exhaled, she could see her breathe. She actually wished she was back in Juvenile Hall. At least then she'd be warm. She had no idea what time it was, but she knew it was late. She rested her head against the cold steel of the cage that protected pedestrians from cars and closed her eyes. When a car stopped and she suddenly had headlights in her face, she opened her eyes again, stood up, and and covered her eyes with her hand. It was most likely a cop, she figured. The seventeen year old picked up her backpack, scared as could be. She didn't do well with cops. Her heart pounded and she looked over at the entrance to the walkway. It didn't seem that far, she figured she could get to it quickly and then dodge the police. Without a word, she ran to the entrance. If she had any idea who it was that had stopped, running would not have been her reaction. She couldn't see, though, and running was her first instinct.
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Post by Andre Simpson on Jun 14, 2010 23:02:25 GMT -8
It was late by the time that Andre was actually ready to start for home again. He had been crossing the bridge when he noticed a figure sitting along the walking path. Normally, he wouldn't have stopped for it. Homeless people huddled wherever they could and who was he to push them out of a resting place. He never quite understood the cops that made it their mission to push the homeless off the streets. He wouldn't be walking through the streets of Toronto poking at sleeping people until they moved. That was ridiculous and a little harsh. It wasn't always their fault that they were homeless to begin with and if it was, then he saw no reason to harshly push them around. There were worse problems out there than bothering someone when they found a place to sleep. They should be glad that it was a living, breathing body they stumbled on and not a corpse. When his headlights flashed over the girl, however, she looked familiar. Was that...? He wasn't sure, but pulled over anyway. Then, just like that, she was running. Andre pulled his keys out of the ignition, and got out of the car. He chased around to the entrance, not having any trouble keeping up with her. He rounded the entrance and cut her off.
"Wait!" He exclaimed, already getting a closer look at her. And when he did, he was getting that clarification that he needed. "Zeneida?" That was his cousin's kid! And of all the places for her to be, he didn't understand why she was on a bridge in the middle of the night. She should have been at home. As far as he knew, his family wasn't the type to throw kids out of their house. At least, he had never heard of it and if he knew anyone was doing it he would have smacked them upside their head, regardless of their gender. Sure, Andre didn't actually have any experience with troublemaking kids himself, but he knew if any of his kids ever committed any sort of crime that he wouldn't abandon them. Well, within reason, but knowing his kids, he knew that they would never cross the boundaries that would make him have to turn his back. It was impossible to remove his love, but if they did something so heinous then it was possible to lose support. "What're you doing out here?" The question wasn't meant to be taken literally and he supposed it would be better worded if he had asked why.
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Post by Zeneida Hernandez on Jun 14, 2010 23:19:11 GMT -8
Zee stopped in her tracks when he cut her off. She swallowed and took a step back until she heard the voice. She knew that voice. Zeneida took that step closer and blinked back her surprise. "Andre." The seventeen year old tried to look tough, but it was difficult. She was homeless and cold. She looked at him and gave a half smile. He was really concerned, wasn't he? When he asked the question, she rushed to him, hugging him and closing her eyes as she dug her head in his chest,
"I ran away." The confession came out of her mouth as she started to cry. She knew that being family, his first inclination was going to be to take her back. Pulling away from the hug, she folded her arms. "I can't go home. Mom doesn't want me. She told me that I'm a bitch and I'm just like my dad. She said that I am never coming home. She wouldn't have even taken me in when I got out of Juvi if it weren't for Uncle Ben. And now he's not there to make sure I don't get kicked out. She hates me. I-I can't go back to her. She probably won't even let me."
It wasn't a matter of pride. Zeneida really did think that she would not be welcome. After all, when her mother found her the first time, she had expressed her hatred. While the word hate didn't come out. Zeneida could sense it. She wasn't stupid. She knew when she wasn't being loved. Looking back up at Andre, she swallowed. "Am-am I in trouble?"
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Post by Andre Simpson on Jun 14, 2010 23:29:17 GMT -8
Andre immediately wrapped his arms around the girl when she hugged him. She was cold even to his touch. As she pulled away, the detective pulled his coat off and proceeded to drape it around her shoulders instead. It should have been enough to help with some of her escaping body heat. Hearing what her mother had said to him left him stunned. How could she talk to her that way? He could understand being upset, but not to that extent. That was not a way to treat a kid. She went to juvenile hall, paid for her crimes so to speak and she should be allowed a chance to start fresh and to have a new life. She paid enough without having that kind of abuse. Andre would never talk to any of his kids that way. Even if they blew up the school or something, he imagined he would be loud if they committed a crime like that, but he wouldn't call them names or berate them like they were less than human and he most definitely wouldn't rather them starving and freezing on a bridge.
"Then you don't have to go back," Andre made the decision right there. Although, he knew he couldn't just say it and have it happen. He needed to talk to her mother and he needed to figure out what happened. While he trusted the girl to be honest, it was better to have both sides of the story. Right now, it was about comforting her and calming her down. At the same time, he wanted her out of the chilled air. From her story, it sounded like Ben had actually done something right. Not that Ben couldn't... It was just Andre's pride liked to think of it as an impossibility. "Not at all, it's not your fault. Come on, we'll talk in the car. It's cold out here." He offered gently.
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Post by Zeneida Hernandez on Jun 14, 2010 23:41:45 GMT -8
The coat did wonders for her, and she put it on and wiped her eyes. When he mentioned talking in the car, she looked over. She knew it could very well be a trick. But at this point, she didn't mind. If he tried to take her home, she would simply run again. Gripping her backpack, she nodded. "Okay." She walked to the car in silence and got in. Running seemed so stupid now. Andre was family and he seemed nice enough to take care of her.
"I didn't think anyone in the family would want me," she said very honestly. If she did, she would have ended up at Andre's door. She always thought the most of Andre. He was incredible. She had seen the way he treated his kids. It was amazing. She bet he still treated them that way. Zeneida couldn't remember the last time she was treated the way that Andre treated his kids. Why couldn't she have been born into his family?
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